NO B.S. FRIDAY: The rise and explosion of Trumpism …why?

Trump is holding up a mirror to the world. If you don’t like what you see, don’t blame Trump.

So Trump smashed it in the Super-Tuesday primaries. Smashed it. Suddenly he’s streaks ahead of Cruz and Rubio with a tonne of momentum.

And on Wednesday the world woke up to the Reality that The Don is a serious contender. Hilary Clinton’s aides are saying now they have to take the possibility of The Don seriously.

Really? Now?

Back in September last year I made the call that The Don would cruise through the primaries and go on to be president.

Back then, people laughed at me. Sportsbet offered me 7:1 (thanks!). In the media, people were rubbing their hands with glee, sure that the Donald campaign would implode in farce at any moment.

6 months later, everyone’s now saying, hang on, maybe he can do this.

Now I don’t need you to love the Donald. I don’t care. But I do want you to tune in to one of the most masterful displays of strategy and power I’ve ever seen.

The fact that so many people missed the rise of the Donald – even now people refuse to see that it’s a possibility – shows that there is another level to human understanding.

Scott Adams (who has an amazing blog looking at Trump’s game) says it’s like Trump has an extra dimension to play with. His opponents are playing 2D chess with a 3D master.

Even if you hate Trump, even if you think he is a narcissistic fascist with a face like an insulted tomato, you need to know about this dimension. If you want to do amazing things in this life, then you need to know about it, if not master it.

And I guess that’s why I was able to recognise the Trump juggernaut earlier than most – my line of work has forced me to tune in to this extra dimension. I work with deals, I work with negotiations, I work with people.

And in the 2D world people make rational decisions based on an objective evaluation of the facts. In the 3D world, people are a fleshy bag of messy neural pathways, completely driven by emotion.

People like you.

People like me. People like Trump. All people are.

Trump is just aware of it, and he’s working with it… like a boss.

You’ve got to remember that when Trump was young, he attended the church of Norman Vincent Peale, who wrote ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’. (One of the all time classics.)

The central message is that everything you tell yourself about yourself is just a story. You can’t know the truth, so tell yourself a story that empowers, fulfils and drives you.

This idea has given the world Donald Trump. Even when he loses, in his mind, he wins. And he really believes it.

Because Trump knows that he’s just a fleshy bag of messy neural pathways driven by emotion.

And because he can see that in himself, he sees that in everybody else.

And this is the one idea that drives the Trump machine.

So Trump says crazy stuff all the time. You layer a filter of logic over it and he looks like a moron, liable to say one thing in the morning and another thing at night.

And you’re logic tells you that an idiot can’t seriously run for President.

And yet Trump is consistently smashing it in the polls and in the primaries.

And that’s because Trump’s not working in logic. He’s working in emotion. He doesn’t care what people think about him. He cares what people feel about him. Because it’s feelings that drive action.

Few people get this because few people believe it’s true. And so they call Trump an idiot because they can’t see what game he’s playing. Over and over. Everyone says Trump’s an idiot.

But seriously, ask yourself. Imagine someone taking on the full might of Fox news AND the war-mongering Bush dynasty, and running absolute rings around them.

Does that sound like something an idiot could do? Really?

And people can’t see it, and the media can’t see it, because in their mind elections are about facts, and policies, and ‘character’. They can’t think outside this framework.

Rubbish. Elections are feely-races, nothing more.

Now you might hate this fact. You might wish that elections were about a robust contest of ideas, or a sober discussion of policies and values. But they’re not. They’re glorified reality TV shows. Somewhere between Survivor and X-factor.

And everyone knows this. Every politician knows this. Modern politics is 98% spin.

But most politicians have the decency to at least pretend that we’re talking about policies. They pretend that they’re trying to represent their constituents.

But not Trump. He knows it’s a game and he’s letting us watch.

And so what? We hate trump for holding a mirror up to society? For making us see what’s actually going on?

Trump is holding up a mirror and saying look, humans are emotional flesh bags, and are easily manipulated, as every King or Queen through history could tell you.

And Trump is holding up a mirror and saying look, what we call ‘democracy’ is just a weird dance between base human emotions and entrenched vested interests. The idea that people ‘participate’ in decision-making is just a comforting lie.

Trump is the mirror to the reality of human nature and our current situation. Trump is the truth.
And that truth is uncomfortable. We like to think that logic rules. Because logic follows rules. It’s predictable. We find it hard to deal with the idea that emotion governs because emotions are unpredictable.

As unpredictable as Trump.

But the choice is yours. You can close your eyes and pretend you live in a world where humans make sense, and reason reigns. Or you can wake up and watch this carnival of strange feely creatures play out, even participate in it.

Comments

well done jon!..its amazing how the ‘average’ person cannot see all of this going on. trump has a further agenda though. he is going to try to save the world from itself. yes..thats his mission. and what better place to start than america..the land of the free (joke). trumpie has just purchased lots of land in his native scotland…the isle of lewis. the lewis and christie clans have most of the gold in the world. a fellow trumpian named chris christie, governor of new jersey has joined trump in a duet to wipe the bushes and their cronies off the planet. enough said of that. do you know that mathematically and by deduction that 1+1 =2? also by seduction 1+1 can = 3, 4, 5, etc.? just a thought. anyway i do enjoy your insightful stories jon. obw..if you want to invest in stocks etc. just follow the usa pres. elections..it seems that elected pres. s have vested interests in growing shares etc. another strange event is that after every election in usa there is a recession. glory be. why?

I shared my Trump-will-win prediction later last year too to my friends. He is a disruptor and certainly no idiot (those who name political parties after themselves fall more into that category). Voters are sick and tired (everywhere, not just in this race) of leaders being “managers” playing as political leaders, but too afraid to speak their mind and take strong stands. Too much adherence to media spin doctors and being a low-profile target. Locally, Kennett was a disruptor in the early 1990s. Far different than Trump’s media savvy, attack-the-establishment style, but another disruptor. Interesting CNBC-published op-ed this week describing how Trump vs Clinton would really be a race where voters disliked both candidates, yet one would get her party’s nomination because the system is rigged in her favour, and the other would get his because it’s not, and his opponents fragment the race. Trump definitely knows the game, and aside from seeming to need better grassroots organisation, is playing the game smarter than most give him credit for.

Wow Jon!!! How do you keep coming up trumps?
My concern is, “What next?”
The USA is technically bankrupt, unable to pay its debts. Its infrastructure is out of date and in disrepair. Its social structures are relying more and more on the police with their hollow-nose bullets – not designed for crowd control, like rubber bullets, but on “shoot-to-kill – ask questions later.” Dead men don’t sue!!! The Police, nation wide, have been supplied with billions of rounds. Why go to such an expense, if the need for their use is not anticipated?
It is reminiscent of the decaying Roman Empire – Circuses & Soup Kitchens.
China also anticipates trouble – that is why they are protecting their front door.
Domestically, so many are arming themselves in anticipation – Just in case!!!
That national desperation is reflected in Trumpism.
Both parties have proved their own corruption and cronyism, supporting the interests of their own tribe and ignoring the plebs (Latin for ‘people’). The have/have-not divide is widening alarmingly.
The Black/White/Hispanic divides are becoming ever more pronounced. The jails are overflowing.
“In God we trust” – because we can’t trust any of our leaders!!!
Will the Republicans accept his candidacy? If not they are conceding defeat to Clinton.
Will Christie be his deputy? It seems he’s currying favour (or ‘favor’, since its USA!)
If yes, there will probably be a big turnout for the voluntary national vote, giving Trump an ‘anti-establishment’ landslide victory.
But, “What next?”
Will the Yanky Don be able to inspire his nation through the depression, the way ours did?
Will the House and the Senate support his moves,”To make America Great Again” – Whatever policies he eventually comes up with to fill the current vacuum?
Since we have hitched our cart up to the post WW2 juggernaut and thumbed our nose at China, we should hope that whoever wins the presidency can also win support of Congress – otherwise we’re in deep whatever it’s called. We’d be up that same creek without a paddle.
We’d all better follow Jon’s advice and do some positive thinking. Good things come to those who have a go!!!
Be kind to one another.

you think he’d be the first to try and ‘manipulate the masses’? He’s just the first to let us see the game for what it is. I’d rather Trump with an open hand than some corporate puppet, where the manipulation’s going on behind closed doors.

Hi Jon, I have been watching this from day one and everyday since. I can’t say wether I am 2d or 3d hope the later. My interest was not so much in the game but the hypocrisy that I hope every sane person saw in the professional politician. Puppets of the men, in smoke filled rooms. The same all over the world from Europe to Australia to the USA. Capitalism at its best Clinton I really watch and laugh at the seriously delusional people that follow or support her. Maybe there all 2d I look forward to the showdown I hope will come in the fall. That is of course if the money men don’t put a spanner in the works.

jon i have to let your readers know about a certain site that maybe will explain a few things about whats really ‘going on’ in this world. it may not be everybodys’ cup of tea..but its worth a read ..and there are many stories there..it may take about 6 months to read them all.lol whatdoesitmean.com?

world affairs are always murky…maybe a read of this will bring truth to the fore.

99% of the world’s immigrants and refugees want to live in the five common law countries – Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Our unique justice, freedom and prosperity were built on were built on careful, faith-based, REASONING. Your rant today adopts the post-modern ANTI-REASONING that are slowly corroding western civilization. If not arrested, it will eliminate our prosperity, then our freedom and finally return us to barbarism. Wake up John! You are a clear beneficiary of a system that has protected you and your assets and your contractual agreements. It was built – not by “emotional flesh-bags”, but by the careful reasoning of judges who over many centuries tried to base common law justice on Jesus’ command to love others as we love ourselves.

99% of the world’s immigrants and refugees want to live in the five common law countries – Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Our unique justice, freedom and prosperity were built on careful, faith-based, REASONING. Your rant today adopts the post-modern ANTI-REASONING that is slowly corroding western civilization. If not arrested, it will eliminate our prosperity, then our freedom and finally return us to barbarism. Wake up John! You are a clear beneficiary of a system that has protected you and your assets and your contractual agreements. It was built – not by “emotional flesh-bags”, but by the careful reasoning of judges who over many centuries tried to base common law justice on Jesus’ command to love others as we love ourselves. (CORRECTED VERSION)

Using this logic you would have also supported Hitler, who was also a master manipulator of people’s emotions. Trouble is he, and Trump appeal to base emotions – fear, anger, mistrust, dog- eat-dog bullying, aggression. Destructive emotions. Good leaders (think Nelson Mandela) appeal to positive emotions – caring for others, cooperation, teamwork, compassion. Constructive emotions. For Bill who called Hillary ‘Satan’s sister’ – please reread the Bible to understand what kind of leader was Jesus.

Jenni, well said!
Not only is Trump appealing to base emotions, he is continuing his lifelong habit of selfishly and greedily completely ignoring the welfare of his fellow man in his quest for personal power and possessions. He will happily steamroll anybody who is in his way. As Rick points out below, the legal system has evolved to protect the rights of individuals who are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Trump and most of his ilk worship the $$$ ignoring the adverse effects their own actions may be having on society at various levels. They manipulate the legal system, thumbing their noses to ethics and ideals. Their first target is $$$, then having achieved that, they get a taste for power. Corruption is then inevitable. Money is the root of all evil.
Trump is quite brazen about his self-interest. He seems to epitomise all that is base in American society. Most politicians are deluded puppets of the secretive power behind the throne. These real power mongers are ‘Trumps’ in sheep’s clothing – out of sight, but equally base.
Like us Aussies, the Yanks are dreaming, (in vain), of having an inspiring leader, for a change!!!

Hi Jenni, the problem is, Jesus would never get elected (and I say that as a Christian). Nelson Mandela only got elected due to the extraordinary circumstances of the time. I hope Trump wins just so he can smash the current political process that encumbers electors with do-nothing stooges.

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